How did St Anselm prove the existence of God?
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Anselm claims to derive the existence of God from the concept of a being than which no greater can be conceived. St. Anselm reasoned that, if such a being fails to exist, then a greater being—namely, a being than which no greater can be conceived, and which exists—can be conceived.
What is the lost island objection?
Abstract. Gaunilo’s Lost Island Objection to Anselm’s Ontological Argument aims to show that if Anselm’s argument can establish the existence of a greatest conceivable being then a very similar argument can establish the existence of a greatest conceivable island.
What is Gaunilo’s criticism of Saint Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God?
Anselm responded to Gaunilo’s criticism by arguing that the argument applied only to concepts with necessary existence. He suggested that only a being with necessary existence can fulfill the remit of “that than which nothing greater can be conceived”.
What is Gaunilo’s objection to the argument how does Anselm reply quizlet?
– Anselm argues that Gaunilo does not argue that his island is the greatest conceivable island. – Therefore, it could be possible that Gaunilo’s island is greater than all other islands but this would be incoherent as we can also conceive of it not existing.
What is Anselm’s ontological argument quizlet?
Anselm’s Ontological Argument. 1) The definition of God “God is being than which nothing greater can be conceived” 2) Something that exists in reality is greater than something that just exists in thought. 3) If there us no being greater than God then God must exist in reality as well as in thought.
Is Anselm’s argument true?
Anselm’s argument in Chapter 2 can be summarized as follows: It is a conceptual truth (or, so to speak, true by definition) that God is a being than which none greater can be imagined (that is, the greatest possible being that can be imagined). God exists as an idea in the mind.
What is Gaunilo’s counter argument about the lost island to Anselm ‘? Is his counterargument convincing?
The two arguments certainly look similar; and Gaunilo is certainly right that we cannot prove the existence of an island than which no greater can be conceived….1 Gaunilo’s ‘Lost Island’ argument.
Gaunilo’s ‘Lost Island’ argument | |
1. | The Lost Island is that than which no greater island can be conceived. (Definition) |
How does Aquinas object to Anselm’s ontological argument?
Thomas Aquinas, while proposing five proofs of God’s existence in his Summa Theologica, objected to Anselm’s argument. He suggested that people cannot know the nature of God and, therefore, cannot conceive of God in the way Anselm proposed.
What is wrong with Anselm’s argument?
In fact, Anselm’s Ontological Argument has provoked a collection of strange, convoluted, and unconvincing responses: Kant’s assertion that existence is not a predicate; Aquinas’ claims that (1) not everybody understands God to be that than which nothing greater can be thought, (2) Anselm’s reasoning assumes, rather …
What was Gaunilo’s criticism?
Anselm responded to Gaunilo’s criticism by arguing that the argument applied only to concepts with necessary existence. He suggested that only a being with necessary existence can fulfill the remit of “that than which nothing greater can be conceived”.
Which of the following does Anselm believe about God quizlet?
What does Anselm think of God? He is the greatest conceivable being. The greatest conceivable being cannot be conceived not to exist. Therefore God, and God alone, possesses necessary existence: God cannot not exist.